reorientation
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of reorientation
First recorded in 1915–20; re- + orientation
Explanation
Reorientation is the act of figuring out again where you are in relationship to your environment, or changing direction. If you're lost in the woods, a compass and map are good for reorientation. Reorientation is often related to location: figuring out where you are and pointing yourself in the right direction. A football player who gets spun around on the field may need a quick reorientation so he doesn't run the wrong way. But reorientation is also about rethinking, and maybe changing, the way you approach something, like an idea or a project.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her reorientation of the division led to a mass exodus of career staff — nearly three-quarters of the roughly 400 attorneys who were there at the beginning of 2025, by Dhillon’s telling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Russia’s reorientation is extreme, but Moscow isn’t alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
Under the leadership of former New York Times and BBC head Mark Thompson, CNN is undergoing a major strategic reorientation to reduce its dependence on traditional television audiences.
From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025
This active reorientation towards a few, particularly close relationships could explain why ageing humans live in ever smaller social networks.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2024
And Curt—he had had his reorientation at least several seconds before vanishing.
From Ye of Little Faith by Roger Phillips Graham
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
